Camp is over, training has just begun…

There seems to be a theme as I glance over blogs of fellow racers who are trying to put words around their experience at Training Camp.  What am I supposed to say?  How do I describe the transforming work that God did in the last week which felt like a month?

I could talk about the different sleeping situations we experienced which left me longing for my own tent again.

Or the food we experienced from around the world that resulted in a camp-wide celebration when we received a chocolate chip scone one morning for breakfast instead of rice.

Or the overwhelming questions that seemed to batter everyone the first couple of days: What have I gotten myself into?   Is this how I’m going to feel everyday for 11 months?  Can I do this?  Will God show up for ME? 

By the end of the first night at training camp, a deep sense of fear and dread threatened to overwhelm me.  During our incredible times of worship, I threw all my fear and questions and challenges at God.  I knew that the World Race would be a transforming year of my life.  But I needed God to move now. 

As I called out to God in desperation…the fuzziness that lies bring started to clear.  I began to claim the truths that I know and chose to believe them for myself.

As God uprooted lies that I was believing and living by, He planted His truth deep into my heart.  And what was true for the psalmist became a reality in my life: JOY came in the morning.  By the end of the week, I felt like a completely different person…because I was learning how to live according to WHO I REALLY AM IN CHRIST.

So much more to share…but I’ve probably already lost readers with the length of this blog.  But I’ll leave you with my end-of-camp story…if you care to read.

Camp was over…our car was almost home to Knoxville.  As I started calling family members to pick me up, I realized they were almost all out of town except for my sister who had an appointment.  So, our exhausted driver, Christin Lyle, graciously offered to drop me at my house.  I dumped all my gear onto my driveway and went to open the garage door, using the electronic keypad on the side of the house.  And…it didn’t budge.  Oh, great!  All I want is my air-conditioned house and my bed!  I told Christin and Jenni that I would be fine…they needed to go home and get some rest. 

As they reluctantly left, I started to check all of the doors and windows, hoping there would be a way into the house.  I called my dad as my phone blinked red, about to lose power…and all contact with the world.  He said the power must be out, so I decided to set up my tent to air it out as I waited for the electricity to come on (which it didn’t until 8 pm that night, so I’m glad I went to Plan B).  Just then, my sister calls me in a panic.  She had accidentally locked the inside garage door, the one we didn’t have a key to even if we got the garage door open.  And she didn’t have a front door key with her.  So…we would all be locked out of the house (including her 4-month old baby) until my parents got home the next evening.

My exhaustion brought tears and all I could think was: I thought training camp was over, God!  I wanted my own bed tonight and I want food!  I want to be able to drive my car.  But everything, including my keys, was locked inside the house.  I quickly realized I was basing my happiness on my circumstances, something I knew I would have to overcome on the race.  So, as I pondered a night of sleeping in my tent in my front yard, I decided that I would choose joy in the midst of these circumstances.

Before sitting down to wait, however, I decided to try one more thing…

I went up to my locked front door, prayed that God would open it for me, then slid a gift card from my wallet into the door jam.  After a minute of sliding it up and down…the door pushed in and my cat came out to greet me.  I laughed for a full minute before quickly calling my parents and my sister, right before my phone died.  God is so good!  And He reminded me that my training has just begun…